Watford FC 0-3 Brighton & Hove Albion - 10/08/2019

I'd forgotten about VAR. Going to be one hell of a season.

 

I know some are joking, but I haven't had less excitement about a new season since the Pozzos took over. I genuinely fear we're going to struggle and a win vs Brighton will be crucial, or I can conceivably foresee a terrible opening 4-6 game run which sees us starting near the bottom of the table.

I don't think we'd go down, but a season where you have it all to do to chase down the teams above you to get your head above water is eminently less enjoyable than one where you're looking up and seeing how high you might finish (even if you do end up confounding all predictions by finishing below them all).

I don't even think the signing of Sarr is the crucial one. I would like to see a centre back at least, of a higher calibre than anything in our squad, rather than just someone who's probably about as good as Cathcart, if he can get back to his best of 2-3 seasons ago.

 

I think it's partly because the cup final hangover is still in place. I can't remember the last time I missed a first game of the season, and I couldn't give a **** about missing this one.

 

Liked for trademarking Deeney’s name,

 

Can you explain what you mean by this, please?

 

VAR will show any contact the ref may have missed. For the big teams this will result in the receipt of a pen. For us it will be deemed to be insufficient to justify a pen. VAR will prove more instances of contact that will be used to justify pens to the bigger teams.

 

If this is true, can we just take voluntary relegation?

 

In a heartbeat.

 

Maybe we could negotiate a severance package with the PL? Like, an extra year of parachute payments and we can keep all the ballpoint pens we've nicked from summer AGM meetings over the last 5 years.

 

Last season leaving on the whistle I could get back to my car and back up here by roughly 7.45pm with good traffic.

With VAR I fear that could now be anywhere between 8pm and midnight.

 

No. The PL will insist on the rest of the prem getting the satisfaction of stuffing us over a whole season. Payback for the last few seasons.

 

I don’t know how many times I have to reiterate this but, at the risk of labouring the point: the referee does not decide which incidents are reviewed by the VAR. All incidents are reviewed and the VAR informs the ref if there as been a mistake. So, if you think there will be bias in favour of the big teams it will be down to the VAR not informing the ref about an error. Personally, I think this is less likely than an on-field ref making a wrong snap decision that favours big teams just because of who they are.

 

We are the new West Brom in the Premiership . An old team, dour and looking to avoid relegation each season at all costs.
Their luck ran out in the end and they may tumble out of the Championship this season.
We usually look tired after October. An old squad, no legs, no pace and often looking clueless at times.
As some have said, no pre-season excitement at all. No new signings of any note. Rumours that the Pozzo's want to sell.
Survival begins on Saturday against Brighton. We lose this game and relegation will seem inevitable.
As with VAR, Bournemouth will be rubbing their hands with glee. A slight gust of wind will have Wilson hitting the floor more than Anthony Joshua.

 

Pawson is the sh1t ref on Saturday, with the sh1t VAR official being Andy Madley. Good grief.

 

Yes. 5 second delay before giving a soft penalty. Blew for time 10 seconds before 90 minutes. Didn’t give an obvious foul on Hughes on the edge of the penalty area. Also didn’t give us a penalty for a similar event in their penalty area. Just dreadful official.

 

The Cup Final defeat was a real sickener, I have tried to forget it, ignore it, pretend it didn't happen but it lives on as the moment when I had hoped so much but those hopes were cruelly smashed to pieces. Since then instead of lifting fans spirits, the club has hit the fans again with its very own brand of Brexit, namely the new badge debate and compounded the feeling of gloom. At the moment all the transfer stories seem to be us on the defensive, about us selling players and unable to bring in players in. I am just hoping that on Saturday I will get to the ground and all the old excitement will return. But will it?

 

No.

 

Doucoure didn’t say that.

 

Excited for another season of reading criticisms about whatever official we are given. Or praising them but criticising them after regardless.

Either way.

 

I look forward to endless posts of transfer window doom, complaining that we've not signed anyone yet.

 

Don’t understand the pessimism we always start well and then fall apart sometime after December

Should be a routine 2:0

 

Agreed. After watching them on saturday they definitely look at the very least play off contenders.

 

No need to look forward to them. They’re happening as we speak.

 

I'm genuinely trying to get excited about the start of the season, however something's not right...I feel flat and uninterested.

Anyone else?

 

HB1 please keep doing this, I'm not saying you are wrong but I enjoy your efforts and photographic memory each time you prove beyond doubt that the ref was a wrong'un. Nobody else seems to have the necessary dedication and attention to detail to pull it off.

 

Brighton have just broken their transfer record to sign Neal Maupay (supposedly £20mil).

Haven't seen much of him tbh, but will be interesting to see how he compares to TD.

 

Looking forward to it. Looking forward to seeing if we can put the end to last season behind us and prove the moaners all over this forum to be wrong (or right), and intrigued to see what the new look Brighton are like. A defeat could sap confidence and result in even more negativity on this forum. Think it will be a good game.

 

Yep. Can’t remember the last time I have been less interested in the start of a season.

 

You'll get a great view on Saturday. Compare and contrast the way he gets on the end of the cross into the box to score their second whilst Troy fails to touch the ball in the BHA penalty area before being substituted.